


I'm a Fool to Want You.

by PobbsR_Ackles



Series: I still have some love to give, handle me with care. [2]
Category: The Beatles (Band)
Genre: 1980, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Barbara is a bit clueless woman, Based on the story of Ringo in the Aspel show, But just a little, F/M, George is jealous, George trying to sue Ringo, Little Fluff, M/M, Madness, One Shot, Ringo Is drunk, Ringo is a mess but he loves George, Song Lyrics, Song fic?, What Have I Done
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-10-26 10:29:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20740745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PobbsR_Ackles/pseuds/PobbsR_Ackles
Summary: "I'll sue because I do not like what you've done with the song""Come on Georgie, don't say that"Or George just can't let history repeat itself again.





	I'm a Fool to Want You.

**Author's Note:**

> Don't think I don't like writing about the young George and Ringo.  
I like it, only that, I almost never see writings of these men of the 80's, and since I have already made a composition of them here is another.  
I write this with the idea to be a very short thing... and is long. Oh my god.
> 
> I'm so sorry. But at the saame time, Im not. 
> 
> **This is 100% fiction!**

**I'm a Fool to Want You.**

George Harrison was in shock.

What the hell had happened and how had they got there?

* * *

_I tried so hard to let you go…_

_...But some kind of madness is swallowing me whole _

* * *

I

That afternoon in the studio would remain in memory of both men for a long time, until George himself knew the truth behind the drummer's words.

Olivia could say that she had never seen her husband get up so early to go to the studio and leave it an hour later, as annoying as he was.

George had snorted with apathy, Olivia could say that with almost palpable annoyance, while he listened for the second time to the mix in the studio of that song he had composed for Ringo. The drummer, knowing that George was somewhat busy with his new album and his own concerns, had asked someone else to mix the sounds of his new LP.

Something that George didn't seem to have liked at all, according to Olivia, who could hear some curses coming out of her husband's mouth. But there was something else in the guitarist's mind, she could tell.

He was somewhat distracted, and seemed, more and more annoying even though she wouldn't know if he was with himself or with his former bandmate.

Meditation a few moments later would have helped a lot with his bad mood, he had disappeared into the vastness of space and he had just let out a smile.

Ringo had stayed days before going to his friend's house, the guitarist seemed happy enough to know that the elder would be going around his studio again, and his house in general for a visit. They had thought of a song where he would collaborate playing the drums for one of George's new singles, how it was too usual for them.

It reminded him greatly of the time where there were only four of them, John, Paul, George and him, going around the world, playing what they wanted until she entered. Ringo shook his head at the sight of Yoko entering as a stranger to the recording studio.

He took the keys to his car and crossed the main hall as usual and looked at the sofa for a few seconds. Barbara Bach was sitting there, leafing through one of the magazines that Ringo had on the small coffee table in front of the chairs, had been sitting there for at least fifteen minutes since she had arrived and not wanting to fall into boredom. taken the magazine in his hands.

"I think we're leaving" the drummer had spoken in that thick voice that had "Surely George is waiting for me and it's always bad to let him wait for more"

She had shook her head in approval and walked beside him to her car. The little trip from Ringo's house to Friar Park had lasted thirty-five minutes, in which the little couple had spoken from the days of Ringo in the band of Liverpool's fabulous four to what they planned to do.

But that afternoon where Ringo anticipated laughter, perhaps one or another joke about their new relationship and how they had met, had been too contrary. That afternoon they had arrived at the youngest's house, smiling when they knocked on the door and it was opened by Olivia, who was surprised and with a warm smile that, Ringo had to admit, hated only a little, welcomed them.  
"Oh, come in. Georgie is in the studio. ”She spoke still smiling and moving away for them to enter.

"Oh, thanks Liv." Ringo had mentioned, using the fake smile he always put on every time he arrived and had to run into her. It is not that Ringo hated Olivia Arias, of course not, the girl was charming and largely understood why, George had ended up marrying her.

But I had to admit it. Ringo envied and admired her, in large part, she had caught the guitarist with a few words and little effort, something he said he couldn't do anymore, and he hated her in large part.

Olivia Arias had something he couldn't have anymore. 

"Oh, I see you're accompanied!" She had said happily overflowing with her tone of voice. Ringo had muttered a stranger yes.

"She is Barbara, we have been dating for a couple of weeks." He explained with some joy, while the women greet each other kindly. "After the movie was recorded," he explained better.

It was then that he saw him standing at the end of the hall, as if he were about to run to any side of the house, the memory of a younger George running to the shared room and slamming all forms of communication with him came to his head. Richard shook his head gently wanting to forget about it. The hallway that connected the room with several rooms and between them, the recording studio looked even darker than usual and as I really remembered, the thin figure of the young guitarist looked barely. George had a strange grin on his face, one that Ringo could not decipher at all, but he had covered it with a mask of serenity and false happiness. That, the drummer knew it well.  
Harrison had greeted the couple with that smile he hadn't seen in his life or at least, he didn't remember. 

"Ah, **Richard** ... you came" the tone of talking about George was strange and ... _Richard_? he never told Richard .

It was always Ringo, Rings, even Richie, in front of Olivia, baby of luv if they are alone but... never **_Richard_** .

George seemed to be in a false state of happiness. And it really was.

Ringo had appeared at his door with a girl, rather Barbara Bach, a young actress she had known when filming a movie apparently, and that George didn't like at all.

Still, he took a quick look that went completely unnoticed by Olivia and Barbara, but that the drummer would understand quite a bit later. George, not wanting to talk more in front of the girls, simply nodded for the drummer to follow.

They both walked down the hall with a shuddering and awkward silence in between, Ringo knew that George wasn't quite happy, he felt bad in a way to know, and he even felt the same as when he told him he was about to marry Maureen. Even so, when they both arrived at the studio he first spoke himself.

"Well, I think we should start at - ..."

"Are you upset?" Ringo cut him, feeling a knot that shouldn't be there, in the pit of his stomach, something strange. He felt somehow nervous "Because, it seems you are"

"What?" George frowned, her twisted lips to one side, but the feeling of doing something bad, like a five year old boy trapped by painting the walls is not going to Ringo " By what should I?"

"I don't know ... I thought—"

"Don't think tha', I am not" but the firm and sharp tone George had used had still left Ringo uneasy.

He felt the need to tell her something else, but he ended up shutting him up. It was better not to keep talking and letting the afternoon go as light as I could.

* * *

_And now, I need to know is this real love ..._

_  
_ _… Or is it just madness keeping us afloat?_

* * *

George would have with all his loved one avoid that situation.

But it was already there, it was already a fact and he was not going to back down, he was listening to the mix again and there was something that really bothered him about it, that song, maybe it didn't sound like he wanted, as he should. Maybe it was because he remembered again that it had been a couple of days ago when Ringo had arrived with Barbara at the studio.

They had been well, they had been talking, the sour moment they had passed before had disappeared, both were joking even with songs that probably only they would understand, singing the lyrics of the songs or playing the old songs with the lyrics changed.

It felt good, it felt right how both men were passing their camaraderie, even both were quite comfortable and funny that, they had only laughed when at some point, Ringo had proposed George to dance as when they were younger. 

"Come on, it's a waltz, " Ringo had said as he held the guitarist's hip with the boy's right and left hand, and he would lead the dance. George laughed at it "Move a little more ... slow"

"It's as slow as I can - ..." but George had stumbled, and if it weren't for holding the drummer with his right arm he would probably have hit his head. George snorted.

Olivia knocked on the door and they both had to separate. Then she entered.

For a few moments he could see Yoko Ono reflected in the long brown-haired girl, he could feel for a few seconds that lump in his throat and his stomach skip uncontrolled, twist and stretch inside him, although he knew it was impossible; now he understood why Paul had taken Yoko's entrance to Abbey Road's studio 2 so intrusively, why even if John was happy to share the good news, to Paul was a complete death shot.

He understood Paul well, and that made him partly miserable. He didn't want history to repeat this time.

Barbara then took Richard's arm and they both kissed in front of the guitarist, then the studio environment had completely changed.

Barbara was a kind but somewhat demanding woman, that is something George had noticed in her, she liked to give her opinion about what they were doing, as if this were the filming of a movie.

"I think Richard should do that again with the drums," she had said while they were on the other side of the glass, Olivia was also there, but she was silent. She knew that this was her husband's land and preferred not to get involved. "Sounds good"

"I think it's a complicated thing to keep up that rythm" George had clarified in the kindest way he could find. He recited in his head more than ten times his phrase to meditate, just wanting to find calm for him "A simpler sound will not make him tired so much"

"I think-…"

"Miss Bach" George had started with a sharp tone, even as Ringo knew so well and knew that he could hurt Barbara if she let George go on "It's not her— ..."

"Georgie is right, _baby_ " at that the guitarist had turned his head frowning at that nickname. Ringo had used that nickname with him a couple of ... all the _fucking_ time, he didn't use it with Maureen, George was the only one who could have that nickname. Ringo smiled with great joy when Barbara stopped commenting "He knows how to do these things"

"You could tell Wood to make the arrangements and mix," Barbara snapped, causing George to freeze at that moment, everything went extremely slow and he could almost hear his own breathing in his ears.

The next sentence made him a bigger wound in his ego and confidence.

"He did an excellent job with your previous track, sure they loved it" the girl sounded too happy and proud of herself.

"I ... This is from George, it's George's album" Richard tried to explain, George was there, he had nothing to do or say, just try to calm down.

He knows.

Ringo knew that he knows how to mix sounds, and still, he had asked someone else to do it. The drummer knew that the one who had to make the sound mix was him and not someone else, the mix sounded horrible to his ears, he made that, Ringo then asked someone else to do it meant he didn't like his job.

What had he done wrong then? Would Ringo have asked Barbara about the mix he was listening now? Had she suggested looking for someone else to do it? It seemed so, as she had said she will look for someone else, a certain Wood.

"Damn, son of ..." George inhaled, trying to calm down again. That was really impossible, not with him thinking that Barbara was the one who had probably told Ringo to look for someone else, with Barbara giving her opinion (that being honest, George didn't ask her) in her own studio and trying to be the Chief in an area that did not belong.

She was breaking into a relationship of years, of more than years, decades could say. "I should just ..." and removed the music from where it was.

George wanted to break something, he wanted to break something. Maybe hit Ringo, maybe just break one of his guitars, but instead he stayed in the swivel chair in the studio's cockpit.

His fingers crossed the bridge of his nose over and over again, it felt like the time Maureen had come to Richie's life and he, delighted with her, had proposed to her after a couple of months, leaving the apartment, and him .

"No ..." George muttered through the darkness of the cabin, almost grinding his teeth at his own thought. "No, this is different. This is ... I'm not going to turn this into another _I Need You, _thing" he said to himself as he rose from his chair and left the study.

* * *

_And when I look back at all the crazy fights we had…_

_… Like some kind of madness_

* * *

**II.**

_"Ringo, I'm going to sue you"_

"Come on George ... no, don't say that"

_"I'm going to sue you, I don't like what you've done with our , no, wait, _my _song."_

"Yours? But I thought it was ours ... look, just don't say that."

_"I will do it."_

"It's okay. Do it if you want then, I will always love you. ”

_"... I'm sorry, Richie."_

Ringo had hung up the phone then.

He didn't really understand what was happening. He had no idea really.

Had he done something to annoy George? It may be that the song will not sound as it should, but it still sounded good, he really thought he would like how it would sound, the string arrangement and even that somewhat rocky part, had been his idea and just wanted George to like it the song. But apparently not.  
He got up from one of the benches in the small kitchen where he was and walked to the living room.

Barbara had not gone that day, had several interviews to promote a new movie that she was currently filming. His eyes went from the small coffee table to one of the photos he had on one of the small tables where the lamp was located. George's warm smile welcomed him for a long time, even George himself had burst into laughter when he had seen him, saying he was crazy to put a picture of him in his living room, he could still hear the laughter from the bedroom when He arrived that day to take care of him after a operation.

He could even hear John saying that he had done too much and his outburst of laughter on the phone shortly after along with Yoko's muted and distant laughter, when George had told them about the photo. Maybe that was the last time he had heard John laugh.

An extremely sad thought. Sigh.

His feet then directed him to one of the shelves where he took out a bottle of bourbon and poured himself a glass, John's memories came as small flashes and several smothered laughter along with some tears were those that came out of him.  
He missed the man, he had been like a brother to him for a long time. He remembered then the last time he had seen even John before his death, perhaps it had been with Paul.

The same was the last time he had spoken to Paul and he still remembered the annoyed look he sent Yoko for a few moments, which he used to give her when she arrived at the study of John's hand. It had been a direct shot to the heart of Paul, who loved John.

Then he recognized him, George had the same attitude towards Barbara that Paul had had towards Yoko when she had set foot in the studio, the same one she had towards Maureen when she had reached his life.

"Oh Georgie" Ringo muttered with total frustration in the tone. He knew what happened then, but what did the mix have to do with all that? A cheap excuse to fight? Then he took in his glass even more bourbon and took another long drink, be more bitter than the previous one “Are you going to turn this into another _I Need You - What Goes On?_ or maybe ... do you want to take it in the _Lennon-McCartney style_ ? ”he muttered to himself, feeling the alcohol begin to take effect.

He wanted to throw up just remembering the long list of songs that he had dedicated to each other in his fight and he didn't want that to happen with George and him, Ringo knew that the child could become spiteful enough to leave him in oblivion, and I honestly didn't want that. He had proposed it since they had left the group. "Shit"

The next swallow of bourbon made his teeth squeak, another curse came out of him, this time with a little more awkwardness when he looked back at the photo. He took it and squeezed it carefully not to break the frame of it "Everything was easier before George" his blue eyes went directly to the smiling face of the guitarist, a few years younger perhaps, still as handsome as he was in those moments before his gaze, everything was easier when they both had something, when it was just the two of them, when he didn't have to envy Olivia and now.

He let out a bitter laugh, like a croak. “When you didn't have to make such a tantrum to get my attention.” And with his index finger he pointed to the photo “You don't have to make such a tantrum for it, you have it…” He raised his shoulders as if he were flirting with the same photo, and after A few seconds he finished the liquid he had, drinking directly from the bottle "You have it ... you just don't realize you still have it."

The heavy tears came out of those bright blues.

The memories of George ignoring for several months, perhaps more than he had wanted filled him, the words he had ever said seemed to have been carried away by the wind and the marijuana, the way George left with John or Paul not wanting being in the same room with him during the recordings still burned him and perhaps the worst part was that they acted as good friends before the cameras.  
Even though that had become bearable, George had begun to treat him more, which had encouraged him a little, but again he seemed too distant and for a few moments he wondered if he had any kind of secret relationship with John, since they were too close together. .

That thought had collapsed the little hope he once had to have the relationship he had with George at first, but they had left him behind, George had met Pattie and he had Maureen, now George had Olivia and he... well he had Barbara.

Nothing was going to be the same.

The bottle of bourbon rolled down the floor when he couldn't contain the tears, it was happening again, he was letting his thoughts fly where they shouldn't.

George felt a strange tightness in his chest after he hung up the phone he had recently installed in the studio, he felt that more than an hour had passed in which he had done nothing but look at nothing in the study's cockpit .

He sighed heavily, his fingers dancing on the edge of the control table as he thought about what he had just done.

He wasn't going to sue Ringo seriously, or so he believed at first. Olivia had protested her idea a day ago, but George had quickly silenced her with the argument that he was the writer, that he could do what he wanted, basically.

Olivia had not protested again, she had only rolled her eyes disapprovingly and even more so when the lawyer arrived home that morning.

"This is stupid," she had said, her voice loaded with disgust and annoyance. "Ringo can do with YOUR song whatever he wants. You gave it to her ”

"You don't understand this, Olivia," George muttered, opening the study door, and before Olivia could protest he closed it. 

He was not going to do it, of course not. But there was no other, maybe then Ringo would first ask. Still the burning sensation, contempt for himself and that pain that filled him was not leaving, for some reason.

A few years ago, when Ringo had married Maureen, he had composed I Need You and then made him the biggest tantrum of his damn life, treating Ringo badly or simply distancing himself from him as much as he could, so much that he had asked John and Paul to write to him , " what Goes On?" . He could still remember how Ringo looked at him when he turned around so he could drink some water during the recording of that song, how he had later fallen in that damn way to avoid himself until Paul and John had exploded like a damn bomb, then they had grouped together again as if it were something natural and as if their instinct to protect each other had united them.

Although George knew from him that it wasn't exactly that. It was rather that he was still admiring Ringo, he was still seeing the same boy from Hamburg with the strange white stripe on his teddy boy hair, with that stupid smile that had made him blush from his first moment and ...

>_ No. Enough, you shouldn't think about how much you still love Ringo <,_ he told himself, while frowning, he shouldn't think he still loved him, this wasn't a damn tantrum for Barbara, he was suing for his song, for what he had done.

Why he really hated watching Ringo get away from him.

For a few seconds, George stood there, looking at the brown wall of the cabin, it was still dark, and he could not hear anything beyond the echo of his own breathing, for a few seconds, he felt his chest sink to the revealing thought of what I had just done hours before.

He couldn't do anything else for now, tears ran down his cheeks, he felt the same as that night he composed I Need You, only this time, neither Paul nor John were there to pat his back saying that everything would be fine , that they would protect him.

This time there was no John to tell him that he could, there was no Paul to tell him that things would be fixed, that it was good that he wanted to cry.

Hell he missed them.

He wiped the tears with the back of his hand, trying not to shed more, but it was impossible. He felt so miserable with what he was doing, all for feeling incredibly jealous of Barbara, for not wanting her to intrude between him and Ringo, he didn't want anyone to do it again as Maureen had done first.

That was why he had married Pattie, although he admitted he loved Pattie when they had married, that had not erased at all the kind of feeling he had had towards him drummer, at the same with Olivia. His face had moved a little until he could see his own shoes, he knew why.

Cursed be the subject of soulmates and all those stupidities they said, that were true.

He wasn't going to let Barbara take it away.

Got damn.

He was not going to turn this into a stupid fight in which he would have no way out when the consequences will explode in his face. He sighed heavily again, wanted to sink in his chair for a few moments and not see the sun again, maybe even when he reincarnated in a nice German shepherd dog, but surely karma would be so bad about this that maybe he would reincarnate in a Toad, green and wrinkled.

George stuck his tongue out in disgust. _Gross!_ He thought to himself.

* * *

_And now I have finally seen the end (Finally seen the end)_

_And I'm not expecting you to care (Expecting you to care)_

_But I have finally seen the light (Finally seen the light)_

_I have finally realized (Realized)_

** _... I need to love ..._ **

* * *

He closed the car door harder than he had wanted. He was angry, he was sad and maybe a little drunk.

Days had passed, Richard had really not wanted to see Barbara in those days and the letter of demand that George had placed had arrived that same morning, in a yellow envelope sealed entirely, with the signature of the same guitarist at the bottom and a seal that lately he used for everything.

The blood boiled, it was just the damn paper where he said why the lawsuit and a note from George wishing him well. No, he wasn't going to do that like his old fights and he wasn't going to let it go entirely to hell while he sat down to pay him money that was more than obvious that George didn't want.

He had perhaps taken too much, bourbon, whiskey and perhaps something else that he did not remember, while arming courage to get out, get to the car and drive to Friar Park. His arms felt like jelly when the cool of the middle of the morning was present, and his heavy walk in the gravel from his car to the main door of the mansion could resonate in his own ears. He was not a stranger in that house, he had come to that place many times and if he knock the door was for simple courtesy, at that moment he could not care less.

But he was about to do it anyway, until the door opened in his face.

Finding only the reason for his discomfort, wearing his gardening clothes. It seemed that George was about to go out and take care of the garden like every day but there was something else, something that Ringo seemed to be noticing a lot and that is, he had swollen eyes and was not looking at him at all, maybe what was bothering Ringo most was that, George had closed the door behind him and had followed his way to the small path that led to the great garden in Friar Park. That only made him more angry.

"Are you ignoring me again, Harrison?" Ringo growled with palpable discomfort in his tone, which was heard equally awkwardly. "Oi, Harrison I'm - ..."

"I've heard you" George growled back, for some reason, he felt annoyed, he was really intimidated by the tone of voice that Ringo was using with him now "I thought you would follow me. I would like to speak in a quieter place. ”

But if, like that, it was a trigger on a bomb, Ringo went down the stairs of the front door as fast as he could to get to his side, pulling the guitarist from the overalls to the end of the path to the garden, he wondered for a few seconds if Olivia I would have heard them when he heard George say quietly that it was a good thing that they were only the two of them.

Ringo snorted hard before pushing George to one of the trees, feeling that it was more the effects of alcohol than himself. George thought for the first time in more than twenty years that Ringo, his Richie was about to hit him, that thought made him feel chills.

"Are you insane ?!" Ringo shouted agitatedly , the alcohol was ravaging him, he felt dizzy, annoyed, sad and hurt as he couldn't. “Are you really suing for a damn song, Harrison?!, I can't believe it, not from you. Fuck, you are a damn child, a fucking child! ”

Ringo's scolding towards him, made George shrink more and more until he couldn't do it anymore, he knew it was wrong, very bad what he had done. But that had hurt him deeply.

No, they couldn't end up like John and Paul.

"I - ..."

"I'm not interested in hearing a damn thing, _Harold_!" The drummer roared in a blind fury, tightly clenching the shoulders of the taller "You're doing this for a damn tantrum, you're turning this into a stupid and bigger tantrum than— ...!" Ringo released the air, his red cheeks swelled a few moments before he looked at the tallest, shrunk at his words and for a second he wanted to apologize deeply, but that did not happen. "You are turning this into a damn ' **How Do You Sleep -Too Many People** ' to your fucking and fucking style, _Harrison_." He hissed each word with contained fury, it was true, he was for the first time letting everything flow as it came.

Ringo could not help it then, he was still furious about what had happened, and wanted to hit George for everything he had felt since that call, his fist then stamped against the bark of the tree, which made George worry, Ringo could have hit him, he could have done anything to him, but he had preferred to hit the tree behind him, he had preferred to almost break his hand.  
He tried to take the drummer's hand, but Ringo himself removed his hand, not wanting to be touched.

That only hurt George more.

The silence had then fallen on them, it was heavy and bitter, while Ringo tried to hold back the tears they wanted to fall from his eyes and roll over his face. He could see George's tears, run down his thin cheeks, as if he were holding them for a long time. And maybe it was.

"What the hell were you going to do or take with this?" Ringo's voice had broken, defeated and tired at his own words, he wanted to ask that question since receiving the call, wiping the tears with the sleeve of his black coat and raised the look when he heard a sigh come from George, he could feel his hand pulsing with pain, but that could not matter less. “Did you expect big standing applause? A cake and a damn party? ”Asked the shorter man in an acid tone while clapping annoyedly “Or did you wait ...? ”

George snorted at the cruel words of his Richie. He had never been so cruel to him, he had never been so cruel, mostly because Ringo was one of the men who could never hurt anyone. George couldn't help letting out the tears once again. If perhaps he deserved that, the way Ringo now put him in his place, what else could he do now?

He had ended up sitting on the grass under that tree they were in, Ringo could see for a moment that George looked like the same young man he had fallen in love with so many years ago in Hamburg, clasping his knees as much as he could to his face, trying to cover him up, he was so beautiful, even in that moment, full of tears, caused by him, wanted to be able to hug him, fill his face with kisses as of yesteryear, tell him how much he loved him and how much it hurt him to see him like that.

But he couldn't move, fury, disappointment and now sadness were the ones in charge of him.

"I ... I don't know," George muttered, Ringo snorted incredulously and annoyed at his evasive response. "Maybe, I was ... jealous. Annoyed ... hurt. For everything, for… ”

Before that the blue-eyed drummer raised one of his eyebrows, curiously, tilted his head gently before Harrison spoke again "You had ... let someone else touch the mix, it didn't sound good to me ... I felt that you you had despised my work, that you did not like what I was doing, I felt for a moment that you left me aside, that… ”George tried in vain to scare away the tears that still ran down his face “that… we wouldn't be near again… then You had brought her, you had let her enter the only space where we were both, to the studio, I could ... I could see Yoko reflected in her, I didn't want ... I didn't want to feel what I felt, what Paul felt, ”he explained.

"What ... did Paul felt?" The question came out softly, the drummer's broken and grave voice trembled for a few seconds, Ringo thought George hadn't heard him.

“Paul used to say that he felt that his stomach was stretching , that something was pulling him inside and he took air out of his lungs, the immaculate fury he felt and even… the desire to hit who he loved most were those who carried their heads in their emotions ... he felt that John was leaving him aside for Yoko, he was jealous for it, he said that ... she was making them both move further and further away" George's words were being overshadowed by his wounded and almost pleading tone of voice "That Yoko had made them separate,” he explained softly, while still refusing to look at Ringo, he said nothing for a long time, so George only took the signal that he should keep talking. “Do you know how horrible I felt when you suddenly came to me with her hand in hand? I thought you were taken away from me, I really didn't know what to do. Then, in the cockpit… she… she… Ringo… is it that this can't end? ”The question then took Ringo by surprise, he didn't know exactly what should be finished for George.

Ringo might not have noticed, Paul had done it years before, John also before he died. And Ringo barely noticed.  
Until now.

George, his Georgie still loved him as he did.

"It is unfair" George was the first to speak, cutting off the thought of the little drummer "Unfair! This, all this ...! It is assumed that I had finally overcome everything,” he concluded, sinking his face between his knees again, staining the overalls with tears. “Is it that I'm not enough for you? Isn't it enough what I already do so you know that… ”

It felt so bad and at the same time so good to love that blue-eyed man, and it hurt him so much, as he always had been, it was with that constant pain he had lived since 1965.

Ringo shook his head strongly, even now in those moments where he was upset, his depression was again taking him to the edge of tears, he clenched his teeth tightly at George's words, that made him feel. Perhaps alcohol was having the effect beyond what he once thought, an analgesic, giving him courage as an adrenaline prick.

"But what the fuck are you thinking Harold now?" Ringo had almost shouted, if they were in a neighborhood surrounded by neighbors, they would probably have called the police "What is all that stupidity of not being enough ?" It was only one covered with fury, it was covered with despair at the guitarist's words.

His bright blue eyes finally examined the young man's face in front of him, for a few seconds it felt so bad to know that George thought so of him. “You are enough for me, God George… look at you” he pointed out “You are not a child, you are not insecure either, you have always been someone sure of yourself and you always know how much you are worth to me.” The guitarist's brown eyes widened as much as they could, he tried to speak but he was silenced again by Ringo, in an aggressive way “But no, you prefer to pretend that you don't know anything. Shit, look at me carefully, do you realize how my head almost spins again and again for you, piece of ... ”Ringo sighed, the alcohol was wreaking havoc on him.

“You still have all my attention, you still have everything you want from me, as in the beginning. Like before Pattie showed up, before I even took Maureen as my wife, even when I did, you had my attention. "The rage still sprang from his words, although his tone was gradually consuming, as if he was being turned off by the look that the guitarist was giving him" I hated Pattie for walking away from me, I hated her so much just appeared and you followed her like a little dog to a bone ... "Ringo let out a heavy sigh, George then frowned worriedly" She was the first person who managed to push you away, and I knew it wasn't enough ... then Maureen arrived. She was like you, someone dominant, someone soft and who knew how to love me ... I wanted to give you back the favor that you had done to me and then, I did something I never should, I felt loved, I felt good ... until he day you arrived at the wedding ” Ringo then wiped away his tears that again escaped his blue eyes.

George was in shock, how the hell was it that they had come to that? How did they get to that point, tell themselves what they had been keeping for so many years? He had no idea how Richard was so guarded in himself, since his depression that alcoholism had ended in him, that until then, George realized that it was causative. George looked at his feet again, he had put him in the band, he had left him for Pattie, he was the one who had ruined him to go with Maureen, he had made a horrible scene of jealousy and a huge tantrum to bring him back and He had treated so far that Ringo had been so damaged.

But it was still there.

George opened his mouth, trying to give an answer to what Ringo had just confessed to him.

Damn feeling of wanting to cry now, worse than before, he simply wanted to sink into a hug with the drummer. Ringo then even with that fury that was consuming him he let go of his last words with fury.

"Hell George, realize that I still love you, that it's probably always like that."

Ringo sighed wearily before sitting in front of the chocolate-eyed boy and looking at him for a few seconds waiting for an answer that might not come.

“I hated her. I hated myself for doing it, I wondered so many times if I was enough… and I realized that maybe, you were out of my league… ”Ringo hadn't even stopped, George looked down even more. "I hated myself more when Maureen preferred you over me ... I assumed I was the problem."

"Don't say stupid things, Rings, you're not a problem." George frowned, annoyed at that perception of Ringo himself towards him. He felt his jaw muscles tighten and the shock of discomfort at Ringo's next words. "The two people I loved left me for not being enough" Ringo laughed bitterly, George made his teeth squeak severely, he had hurt his poor Ringo so much, the only one who made him feel like himself, the only person who his soul recognized him as "And when you married Olivia ..." George then fixed his gaze on him "just got worse ... I got up every morning asking him why you didn't want to come back to me ... why I just didn't have the guts to tell you that I loved you as I did… and as I still do it, ”he whispered, Ringo had again dropped his own tears.

George was too surprised to do anything beyond simply looking at the drummer's sad face.

"Well, Richie," George murmured, looking down, his gaze still glued to his shoes as if they were interesting enough for him. "I didn't know that ... I thought ... I thought it would never be the same ... you know." George raised his shoulders. with reluctance before clarifying his tone of voice "is not ... not that I did not want ... I thought you had gone over it, that you had forgotten" George's wounded tone was noted, and Ringo felt his stomach shrink at it . “Me, I felt too displaced by Maureen… because of what you had done, just… I didn't know that it was I who first hurt you. I taught myself so much about trying to do what you had done, that I didn't realize how unhappy you were. I sank so much in my own pain and in my own denial ... I didn't see how you were sinking more and more. I'm so sorry Richie, I really do... in the end I am he who doesn't deserve you at all, you shouldn't stay with me… don't even give me another chance or tell me that you love me. You shouldn't… I love you, but I don't deserve you at all. ”George wiped his tears with him on the back of his shirt. "I didn't know I was ... I didn't know how much damage I did to you, believing that I was the only one damaged" Ringo then shook his head.

That didn't matter anymore, it was a thing of the past. Now they were together, maybe not the way they wanted, but they were both there.

It was something ... right?

"Why did you never tell me how damaged you were, Richie?" George's voice was small, slippery and fragile. Ringo didn't want to hear him like that.

"What did I win? ... I didn't earn anything, just your annoyance," Richard whispered. "Pattie was a fool in many things but this. She knew what intentions I had with you and that's why I hated her even more. Olivia doesn't know what's going on between us ... and that's why I pity her but I envy her. He has you. ”Ringo looked up at the sky a few seconds before continuing.“ I really feel jealous… too much. Just like you, only ... I can't do this. I can not get angry with you. Understand this, George ... I love Barbara, I do, I love her ... but I love you more. ”

He still had traces of tears down his cheeks and part of his beautiful eyelashes, Ringo raised his aching hand to clean them, cradling the guitarist's right cheek gently.

"I didn't think we were in this yet ... look at us, hadn't we done this a few years ago?" Ringo let out a nasal laugh, it was true, when the band broke up, when he began to fall back into depression.

"Why didn't you just ask?" Ringo then muttered, as if someone could hear them in that place. "I would have told you then, but suddenly ... you turned away from me.... You wanted your space…”

George snorted with a sarcastic face. However, Ringo continued, “I thought you wouldn't want to be with me again, after all… I was part of what we kept dragging. Be a Beatle.” George then raised his eyebrows and took the drummer's hand, his lips gently touching the low-cut knuckles. "My ... my alcohol consumption only increased, and ..."

"I understand, Richie." George gave him a look trying to calm him down, Ringo seemed to want to sink himself, but he wasn't going to let him do that. "I understand it wasn't easy for you. I remind you that neither for me... do you remember when you came to take me out of the studio and had barely eaten or drink anything, because I were high? ”He asked, so softly that he looked like a murmur. That was something that Ringo de George loved, his voice as calm as the ocean water, the one he loved to listen to whenever he could. “You were the one who made me realize what was happening… what should I do. Richie, I understand what you're going through, I understand that… I just added more to this… and now look at you. ”Said the thinnest man, cradling with one of his hands Ringo's red and tearful face“ You're making a mass tearful, you have hurt yourself and… I have hurt you. ”

Ringo let out a smile, sorry for his own state.

"I'm sorry ... I'm so sorry." George continued, kissing each knuckle carefully before letting out a low sigh, then playing with the drummer's calloused fingers. "I'm sorry for everything you've been going through me, since ... from the stupid _I Need You_ tantrum … even before, ”he muttered softly. Ringo could not help it, he let out a sad laugh, George had not caused any of his wounds now "Equal ..." George spoke again stop playing with the drummer's fingers "I regret all this ... I will remove the demand order. I really don't know what the hell I was thinking and what I was waiting for ... I just bothered you and ... ”

"Geo is fine, I understand," Ringo whispered, rising just to leave a small kiss on the guitarist's forehead. "I get it…"

He had said he wasn't going to turn that into a new '_I Need You'_ but there it was. It was the same thing that had happened that time, he had spoken after a verbal fight, where they had yelled and claimed.

But this time, Ringo had reasons to do it, had reasons to shout at him.

He had hurt him.

George really hated this of soulmates now more than ever. He had done so much harm to his soulmate, from the beginning.

Ringo then ran his aching hand over his face roughly, feeling his rings scrape the skin off his cheeks, wanting to wipe away the tears they had on them.

"You must leave Richie, you must rest" George had stood up, his chocolate look said he needed time now, to think things over. Ringo did not protest, although he wanted to.

He stood up and with some clumsiness even from the effects of alcohol, left a soft kiss on the youngest's forehead and dragging his feet, he got into his car.

Sometimes he hated that of soulmates, he could feel the shame and even the sadness of George.

Ringo sometimes wondered if George felt his constant sadness.

* * *

_Yes I have known, I can be wrong. Maybe I'm too headstrong ..._

_… Our love is, madness_

* * *

**III.-**  
  
“How was it that they were going to sue you?” The presenter had finally asked, everyone had heard him, and some had let out a few laughs. Less George who felt like a child scolded for doing something wrong.

"Oh, that!" Ringo had replied with that calm and extremely good-natured state that characterized him on television, although George knew it was a fallacy. "He called me one morning, I was really out of the question until he said it: I'm going to sue you."

People laughed, he let out a bitter laugh at him, remembering how annoying he was that day. Ringo continued with his anecdote.

"That was one of the first things I heard when I picked up the phone." The audience laughed with it, when Ringo then made his fingers to hold a phone, George let out a soft laugh "I'm going to sue you, I don't like what what have you done with the song? ”he said with a tense look, George knew that he was not comfortable with it and that he was joking.

He barely laughed, which made Ringo smile, at least, George was there to tell him everything was fine.

"And I told him," the blue-eyed drummer continued. "No, George, don't do it. When he went on, I had to say 'well, do it." But remember, Georgie I'll always love you." And after that, Ringo shrugged his shoulders naturally, as if that were something that was everyday when it was more than clear that it was not. "_I will always love you,_" Ringo muttered again.

George simply smiled and looked down, until he could play with the edge of his long light brown coat, avoiding at all costs the intense blue look on his thin body, he felt that his cheeks were warming and that his heart was beating a thousand times. time with that confession that the short drummer had made on open television.

Sigh.

Luckily the interview did not last long, George was eager to then go back to where he was staying and be able to rest a little, or maybe ..._> No, no. <_ He thought to himself, while watching the drummer take one of the coffees in one side, still talking to Aspel while laughing. George had not seen or talked to Ringo for a month and a half, when they had had the discussion, so he did not know what had happened.

He sighed heavily, closing his eyes for a few seconds.

"Tired?" The low, good-natured voice made Harrison almost jump in his place, he was no longer for that kind of thing. Ringo let out a small laugh "Easy, I'm not going to kill you!" He joked.

"You scared me, brute," George replied, looking at the coffee the drummer had in his hands. "Have you put—...?"

"No. I'm—… I'm trying to leave everything that has to do with… you know, ”Ringo muttered before shaking the espresso coffee in his hands. "George… How are you? ”

George raised his shoulders and grimaced "Well I guess... fine" he whispered, his hands made a smooth path to the tip of the drummer's fingers, Ringo said nothing, didn't want to disappear the touch of George's calloused fingers from his skin “Did you really tell everyone on The Aspel Show—… ”?

“I said it, I affirmed it. And I will affirm it right now, Georgie ”

Harrison smiled gently shaking his head, let out another sigh this time, relieved by everything that happened.

"Was expected. Ringo… ”he began, Ringo took a sip from his glass while he gestured to the guitarist to follow him to the car“ Was that why you told me on the phone…? ”They both started walking, Ringo going to the head of both.

"If I'm honest, George, I said it because I know it was something you wanted to hear from me some time ago, I didn't think about it, I just felt you should know." Ringo turned to him. He didn't have the dark glasses on, so he could see those blue ones like the same sky that he had drummer so clearly, that for a few seconds he got lost in them, until Richard himself spoke again “I needed you to know that you still I do, even though you have made your life ... ”

"You're doing yours ... again" George spoke softly, they had avoided the paparazzi, by pure luck, and Ringo's car was quite far away. The street was quiet. "With her…"

Ringo raised one of his eyebrows. Perhaps…?

"Do you still hate her?" Ringo asked, surprised, amused and could even say he felt loved.

"He has something that should be with me from the beginning," George muttered before getting into the passenger seat. Ringo then climbed into the driver's seat, waiting for George to finish speaking.

“And that —What is it?” Ringo was nervous, his hands were sweating and he could feel his own fingers squeeze the steering wheel more and more.

“You” It was a simple answer, but Ringo could feel his body tremble at the possessive way in which George Harrison was claiming, a very passive way of it. "I don't think it's fair."

"Well ..." then before Ringo could say anything else, George's lips touched his forehead for a few seconds, and they quickly went down to deposit a kiss on the drummer's lips, until they parted.

"Sorry, I shouldn't ..." but Ringo just smiled.

Yes, it wasn't fair that his soulmate was with someone else, but ... there they were, after years, still loving each other as at first.

He cursed for a long time in him that he didn't realize his love for George, George's love for him, how things had ended, but still ... he wouldn't change any of it.

That afternoon at George's house, it would be in his head for many more years.

**Author's Note:**

> **N / A**: In the period of doing this fanfic, I was listening to _Muse's Madness_ song and _I'm a Fool to Wan You_ by Bob Dylan it seemed in some ways a good way to express something about the situation. At least the lyric is the point of writing. I hope you enjoy it, as always, English is not my main language.__
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